Communication Options

Manual Communication Methods

What are Manual methods of Communication? 

Manual methods of communication use a child's ability to communicate through visual stimuli such as fingerspelling and sign languages. This includes American Sign Language (ASL), Manual English signed systems such as Seeing Essential English and Signed English, and Total Communication. Fingerspelling augments most sign language systems by using handshapes to code the letters of the alphabet as well as numbers.

American Sign Language (ASL):

ASL is its own language that is made up of a distinct grammatical structure with positions and gestures made with the hands, body and facial expressions.

Manual English Signed Systems:

Manual English uses many of the traditional ASL signs, while maintaining the English word order and grammar with the intention of developing an individual's ability to read and write English.

Total Communication (TC):

TC was designed for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing to use any and all communication methods (all of the above) necessary to facilitate language acquisition.